The announcement was made through Slam Dunk Festival’s official Instagram account, where they declared, “Slam Dunk is pleased to bring you a Christmas miracle! We’re excited to announce that @malloryknoxband will be reuniting for exclusive shows at Slam Dunk Festival 2024… With the return of original singer Mikey Chapman! Happy holidays” The reunited band will feature all the original members: Mikey Chapman, Sam Douglas, James Gillett, Joe Savins, and Dave Rawling.

Mallory Knox subsequently posted a Christmas-themed message on their Instagram, announcing the reunion and the festival appearance, captioned “MALLORY KNOX 2024. See you at @slamdunkmusic. Merry Christmas x”.

The band is set to join an impressive lineup of rock and pop-punk powerhouses at Slam Dunk 2024, featuring iconic acts like You Me At Six, The All American Rejects, Boys Like Girls, Funeral for a Friend, and State Champs. Fans can catch them all at Hatfield Park and Leeds Temple Newsam over the late May bank holiday weekend.

Known for hits like ‘Beggars’ and ‘Shout at the Moon,’  Mallory Knox left an indelible mark at Slam Dunk after their performance in 2012. The prospect of their return, following a substantial 12-year hiatus, has sparked immense excitement among fans.

The announcement of the reunion marks a surprising turn of events after the band’s official disbandment in 2019 following a somewhat scattered farewell tour. In a recently deleted post on Facebook, Mallory Knox’s statement read, “After 10 years, 4 albums and countless tours it’s time to announce that Mallory Knox has come to the end of the road. Unfortunately we’ve reached the point where we feel we’ve taken Mallory as far as we can both professionally and personally.”

Lead vocalist Mikey Chapman left the band in 2018, forming the band Sky Research, prompting lead bassist Sam Douglas to step into the role. Sam encountered health issues towards the tour’s end, leading to the cancellation of some final dates. Despite these challenges, the band bid farewell with a final show in October 2019. Now, their return to the Slam Dunk Festival in 2024 promises to be nostalgic for both Mallory Knox and their devoted fanbase.

Slam Dunk 2024 is scheduled for the dates below with tickets are available for purchase here.

25/05/2024 – Hatfield Park – Hatfield

26/05/2024- Temple Newsam – Leeds

This year’s Slam Dunk Festival is now sold out across both sites! Thank you all for your support in making this year our biggest event yet!

Final tickets for the afterparties and the north pre-party are still available, but all are close to selling out as well. pic.twitter.com/tUKvo74iZ2

— Slam Dunk Festival (@SlamDunkMusic) April 29, 2023

Billed as one of the largest music festivals in the UK this summer, the problems plagued both venues in Hatfield and Leeds respectively. The issues seemed to stem from the first day of the festival in its south location of Hatfield Park, when an unprecedented amount of festival-goers showed up to the venue without advanced parking tickets. This caused a huge strain on the organisation of the venue, as ticket holders found themselves queueing for parking and, in many cases, missing performances that were highly anticipated.

Slam Dunk organisers sought to correct the issue for the second day’s north location in Leeds by only allowing parking ticket holders to enter the car park which, in turn, caused delays on entry to the grounds. Many fans took to social media to vent their anger and frustration but also highlighted long queues for food and toilets as well as a lack of adequate security. On the evening of the 27th, following the Hatfield Park event, Slam Dunk issued an apology to those fans who found themselves stuck in traffic causing a late arrival-blaming the hold up on the arrival of non-parking ticket holders and external factors beyond the organiser’s control.

We sincerely apologise for anyone that was caught in the traffic issues whilst arriving on site today for Slam Dunk South. Full statement below. pic.twitter.com/PKtq0MHlwS

— Slam Dunk Festival (@SlamDunkMusic) May 27, 2023

Voicing disappointment to news outlets and social media, one fan reported, “music was brilliant but pretty much everything else was poor. Food queues were huge, like 100/150 people easy in each line. felt for the girls as the portaloo queues were worse. 7 quid pints and took us 3 hours just to get out.”

Slam Dunk had for weeks announced that the two venues had sold out but many were left exasperated that, at an organisational level, the venue was severely lacking. On the festival’s social media accounts, fans demanded partial refunds, highlighting a lack of clear signage to direct patrons through the car park and once inside the venue.

The criticism undoubtedly serves as a black mark for the festival that featured otherwise brilliant performances from bands that played both sites. Slam Dunk Festival is an annual UK showcase of pop-punk, emo and alternative music that often attracts huge bands and crowds alike. This year’s edition featured headlining sets from Enter Shikari and The Offspring as well as performances by Yellowcard and Creeper.

Yesterday (July 22), the festival’s official Instagram account posted an update with all the relevant information regarding entry into the festival. Perhaps surprisingly to some or greatly received by others revealing that attendees will not need to be double vaccinated to gain entry.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Slam Dunk Festival (@slamdunkmusic)

Headliners for the festival will include the likes of Sum 41 and Don Broco, with other big names on the bill such as Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Alkaline Trio, Funeral For A Friend, While She Sleeps, Comeback Kid, The Story So Far, We Are The In Crowd, NOFX and many more. The Event has two editions much like Reading and Leeds with the North edition of the event, held at Temple Newsam in Leeds will take place on September 4, while Slam Dunk South in Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire will take place on September 5.

As seen in the post at least one of the following criteria would be accepted in order to gain entry:

• Proof of a negative lateral flow or PCR test result logged within 48 hours of the event OR
• Proof of immunity based upon a positive PCR test result, clear of the 10 day isolation period, logged within 180 days of the event OR
• Proof of double vaccination, with the 2nd dose received at least 14 days prior to the event

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged nightclubs and any large events to check for ‘COVID passports’ now that the UK’s coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. At a Downing Street press conference last week, he stated: “As a matter of social responsibility we’re urging nightclubs and other venues with large crowds to make use of the NHS COVID pass, which shows proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or natural immunity as a means of entry.”

Since most people kept their 2020 tickets, organiser stated on their official Twitter channel that its “only right to try to bring back as many SDF20 artists as we could“. Tickets already purchased will be valid for 2021, and for a limited time more tickets are on sale for next year at their older price, starting from £75.90 and available at ther official website.

We are very pleased to confirm the final list of artists who were due to play SDF20 and who are able to come back to play SDF21 for you. As the vast majority have kept hold of your tickets for next year it seemed only right to try to bring back as many SDF20 artists as we could.. pic.twitter.com/YZS2Ea5yLD

— Slam Dunk Festival (@SlamDunkMusic) August 24, 2020

The 2021 edition will mark the 15th anniversary of the festival since its first show in 2006. Done under the slogan “A New Dawn“, the festival is promised to be “the biggest and best one yet“. With a line-up like this and with music fans across the globe getting hungrier for live events, the festival is sure to sell out very quick so get your ticket now to avoid disappointments. Additional information on transport and accomodation for both North and South shows, along with different merch and festival masks are all available online.

As confirmed, Canadians Sum 41 return as headliners along fellow compatriots Billy Talent and California punk rock veterans NOFX. The main British acts are Bedford rockers Don Broco and local metalcore favourites While She Sleeps and Bury Tomorrow. Joining them is a long list of both well established acts and fresh names from the international punk, rock, metal and hardcore scene. Among the seemingly endless line-up are The Used, State Champs, Pennywise, The Wonder Years, Code Orange, Reel Big Fish, and many many more.

Вижте тази публикация в Instagram.

ALL 3 ARE BACK! Full and final list of returning artists from 2020 will be released on Monday at 5pm. Limited tickets remain on sale at 2020 prices, so get yours now from www.slamdunkfestival.com

Публикация, споделена от Slam Dunk Festival (@slamdunkmusic) на Авг 21, 2020 в 9:02 PDT

The fesitval is organised annually by independant label Slam Dunk Records. The idea was first born around the ‘Slam Dunk’ weekly event at Leeds’ Cockpit music venue (now operating as The Key Club) with the sole goal to “change the UK pop-punk scene forever“, and quickly transformed into one of the main annual events for punk and metal lovers. Ogirinally only held in Leeds, since 2010 the festival has turned into a two-day event with additional day added closer to London in response to growing popularity and demand.

Since most major events for this summer got cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 situations, festival organisers and promoters got busy with planning their schedule for 2021 and Slam Dunk is one of the latest to be finalised for next year. Assuming everything goes to plan and no external factors interfere, next summer is looking like one to remember. All everyone needs to do is keep a safe distance, wash their hands regularly and wear a mask so we can all go back to the live events we have missed for so long now.

Set to take place over two days as usual, Slam Dunk will kick off on 29th May in Leeds’ Temple Newsam, moving to Hatfield Park for the next day, 30th May. Ticket-holders can retain their purchases for next year, however they can also receive a refund from the point of purchase up until September of this year. On the other hand, prices have gone up for new purchases given the difficult circumstances, so it’s a good idea to hold onto them. Tickets are on sale now from the official website.

Acts to look forward to include Punk In Drublic, who were the first to be announced, as well as NOFX, Pennywise, Reel Big Fish, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, The Vandals, and Face to Face. Elsewhere, Comeback Kid, Days N Daze, and newcomers The Baboon Show will perform on a different stage.

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We are pleased to announce the first bands for 2021 alongside the European tour announcement of @punkindrublicfestival. We’re excited to announce @nofx, @_pennywise, @gimmegimmesband, @reelbigfish, @vandalsofficial & @facetofacemusic will be back joining us for #SDF21 Also on the tour but playing on other stages at Slam Dunk is @comebackkid_hc, @daysndazeofficial, and new addition @thebaboonshowofficial. Lookout for the next announcement coming next very soon. #SDF21

A post shared by Slam Dunk Festival (@slamdunkmusic) on Jun 15, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

Upon cancelling the event, Director Ben Ray wrote a saddening message to attendees, which reads “It is with a heavy heart I have to inform you that Slam Dunk Festival is postponed to 2021. We hung on to hope for as long as we could but with so many factors against us, we have had to accept the fact that it can’t go ahead.”

Luckily, many of the bands who were scheduled to perform this year are on board for next year as well, as he went on to explain. Very soon after the cancellation, it was revealed that plans for 2021 were already in the works, causing excitement amongst fans.

View this post on Instagram

It is with a very heavy heart we have to inform you that Slam Dunk Festival 2020 is postponed to 2021. Please read the image or visit www.slamdunkfestival.com for the full statement from our Festival Director.

A post shared by Slam Dunk Festival (@slamdunkmusic) on May 14, 2020 at 6:01am PDT

There are various options for tickets, while new merchandise has been released in preparation – since Slam Dunk is an independent festival run by a small team of people, buying t-shirts and tickets will greatly help to support an amazing event.

Originally the festival was postponed from May to September 2020, but upon Government advice, it was cancelled entirely. Established in 2006, it has never missed a year, being nominated for the UK Festival Awards for six consecutive years.

This will be the band’s debut appearance at Slam Dunk and they will be celebrating their 25^th anniversary together. The festival is held in three separate locations over the weekend of May 26^th, 27^th and 28^th, on the Spring Bank Holiday. Fans get a choice whether to attend in the North of England in Leeds (26^th), the Midlands in Birmingham (28^th) or South in Hertfordshire (27^th), which will be at new venue this year in Hatfield. The punk heavy party is held over one day and is host to eight stages.

We got to know another 5 acts would be joining Jimmy Eat world also, including Taking Back Sunday who’s set will be their third appearance at Slam Dunk over the years, and the emo-heavy Sleeping With Sirens. Pop punk favourites Four Year Strong, Trash Boat and State Champs were also revealed to complete the first batch announced.

THE #SDF18 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT IS HERE pic.twitter.com/1o7fzZlpjQ

— Slam Dunk (@SlamDunkMusic) November 15, 2017

The festival hits the mark of its twelfth year and aims to share the biggest and most upcoming acts in emo, rock and pop punk. It is constantly attracting a bigger crowd and the change of venues in the South is evidence to this. When speaking to The Independent, festival director Ben Ray said: “We are sad to leave the University however the event was selling out months in advance so we knew we had to move it and make it bigger due to demand from the fans.”

Jimmy Eat world formed way back in 1993 and are known to be one of the best and well respected bands of the pop-rock scenes, with nine studio albums under their belt. Their ninth release last year was named Integrity Blues and became the band’s highest charting release in the UK, reaching number 21 on the UK Albums Chart. They were seen this summer at Reading and Leeds Festival on the main stage, so if you missed that it may be important to know as a UK fan that Slam Dunk will be their only UK festival appearance in 2018.

You can get a ticket from Friday November 17^th at 9am, and will cost you £49 for the day, or if you attend the infamous after party and want a chance to meet some band members, you can pay the slightly higher price of £55. Get tickets here.

Slam Dunk has announced a list of bands to grace the acoustic/solo stage, as well as a number of names to play the UPRAWR stage. These are:

The Rocket Summer

Rob Lynch

Away Days

Elder Brother

Greywind

Seafoal

Grumble Bee

Lianne Kaye

Bethan Leadley

The Beat

The JB Conspiracy

Bury Tomorrow (DJ set)

See the poster below for the full line up – it’s a good one!

Slam Dunk 2016 kicks off at the end of May, visiting three separate locations – dates and venues below:

28/05 – Leeds, England – Leeds City Centre (Slam Dunk North)

29/05 – Birmingham, England – Birmingham NEC (Slam Dunk Midlands)

30/05 – Hertfordshire, England – University of Hertfordshire (Slam Dunk South)

Visit Slam Dunk’s official website for news, information and tickets.